The Ninth G20 Speakers’ Summit (P20) concluded successfully on Saturday, with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla observing its deliberations had underlined the G20’s parliamentary dimension and shown how Parliaments can work together to achieve the goal of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future.’
In a valedictory address, before handing over the P20 Presidency to Parliament of Brazil, Birla said that he was confident the discussions on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), green energy, women-led development and digital public infrastructure will strengthen the G20 process for human-centric development.
He said some Speakers had spoken of issues outside the agenda and referred to current international challenges. These included some geo-political incidents and economic matters. Some participants had spoken of the situation in West Asia and the Middle East.
There were also references to strengthening multilateralism, increasing international trade and bringing resilience in supply chains, Birla said. “In today’s world, we cannot see any issue in isolation. We welcome all additional suggestions and mentions and have taken their note.”
This is why, he said, paragraph 27 of the Summit’s Joint Statement said: “We will continue to engage in parliamentary diplomacy and dialogue in relevant fora as a catalyst for promoting international peace, prosperity and harmony, including supporting the peaceful resolution of conflicts and disputes.”
The Speaker said that Parliamentarians held positions where they could contribute to policies and legislations for the realisation of hopes and aspirations of people. “Our role is complementary to the Government’s efforts and we can ensure good governance for public welfare,” the Lok Sabha Speaker said.
He handed over the P20 Presidency to Arthur Cesar Pereira de Lira, President of the Chamber of Deputies, Brazil. The 10th P20 Summit will be hosted by Brazil.
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh and President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Duarte Pacheco addressed the concluding session.
On the sidelines of the Summit, the Lok Sabha Speaker had several bilateral engagements. He met the IPU president and outlined that India pursues with the IPU a common agenda of promoting and supporting democratic governance and building strong parliaments to serve people.
Birla held bilateral talks with Valentina Matvienko, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. He thanked her for making P20 a success, and observed that India and Russia have long-standing deep relations and the two countries have stood together in times of crises.
In a bilateral meeting with his counterpart from South Africa Ms Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula, Mr Birla congratulated the African Union (AU) Member South Africa for the successful inclusion of the AU in the G20 due to India’s initiative during the ongoing Indian G-20 Presidency.
Birla said the Membership of the African Union in the G20 testifies India and South Africa’s commitment towards an inclusive and representative G20, which will help in mainstreaming the concerns of the global south and in collectively finding solutions to global challenges.
Vice-President and Chairman Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday hosted lunch for delegates of the participating nations at the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) at Yashobhoomi.
The two-day P20 Summit was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, describing it as the “mahakumbh” of parliamentary practices of the world. The Summit’s theme was Parliaments for One Earth, One Family, One Future, drawing inspiration from the ancient Indian concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The World is one Family).